50 Surprising Things to Make in a Vitamix

50 Surprising Things to Make in a Vitamix

If you’ve got any interest in cooking, there’s a good chance you’ve heard of a certain little kitchen gadget known as the Vitamix. Thanks to powerful, high-speed blades, this multitasking blender has cemented its status in the food world as the ultimate kitchen tool, becoming the stuff of culinary daydreams and dominating Amazon wish lists.

But as with many good things, there’s a catch. Here, it’s the price tag, running upwards of $400 a piece (a number that can break your heart and your piggy bank.) If you’re considering investing in one, check out this handy chart that can help you decide which model would suit you. If you’ve already jumped on the super-blender bandwagon, get ready to put that sucker to use in ways you didn’t even know possible.

Don’t have a Vitamix? Don’t feel left out! We’ve marked with an asterisk the recipes that are possible with a regular-speed blender or food processor.

Generally speaking, a Vitamix is good for:

Recipe Building Blocks and Household Uses

So why does Vitamix inspire such devotion? It’s a great enabler of prepping and cooking shortcuts, single-handedly serving as a substitute for multiple other kitchen gadgets—think immersion blenders, graters, stand mixers, juicers, and more. (And it’s a little easier justifying that price tag if you were going to spend money on four or five other appliances.)

Nut and Seed Butters

Our love of nut butter knows no limits. You can’t go wrong with classic and all-natural peanut. But feel free to break new ground with macadamia, pistachio, even cayenne-infused sunflower seed butter. (You won’t find that at Whole Foods!) Add any sweeteners or flavorings you like.

DIY Flour

Whether you’re going gluten-free or just feel like experimenting beyond plain old flour, use your Vitamix to make almond, coconut, and a host of other types of funky flours. And if you regularly use alternative flours, you’ll definitely save money DIY-ing it.

Shredded and Chopped Veggies

No need for a food processor to shred the veggies in produce-based dishes. The handy Vitamix does all the legwork—or arm work as the case may be.

Puréed Fruits and Leafy Greens

Be it berries, spinach, or sweet potatoes, process them to a pulp and freeze for convenient add-ins to future juices, soups, and smoothies. (Another money-saver to use up produce before it turns on you.)

Condiments

Salad Dressings

Go with basic vinaigrettes or get creative with dressings like ginger scallion, Caesar, and fresh avocado fiesta.

Fresh Juice

No offense to Jamba Juice, but once you’ve mastered this nifty trick to straining your own fruit ‘n’ veg combo in a Vitamix, you may never turn back.

Smoothies

Smoothies are the first thing that come to mind when you think Vitamix, and with good reason—that’s precisely what it's for.

Sweet Toppings

Who needs that squirtable canned stuff when the Vitamix can turn coconut milk into whipped cream and cashews plus cocoa powder into frosting.

Vitamix Recipes

Tips and shortcuts aside, the Vitamix can play the starring role in making full, healthy meals too. Be it pasta sauce or waffles, get your money’s worth with these recipes, which make the Vitamix a crucial part of the prepping and cooking process.

Dips, Sauces, and Marinades

The happy-hour greasebomb gets much happier (and healthier) with a protein-pumped sauce makeover, made in the Vitamix with cashews, cannellini beans, and antioxidant-rich coconut milk (versus the usual cheese and sour cream).

The super-strong Vitamix blades can whiz chickpeas and whole sesame seeds together to yield an extra silky-smooth hummus without gobs of tahini or oil (both are delicious but can get heavy on the fat per serving). Don’t forget to get crazy with the seasonings—half the fun of hummus is all the ways you can riff on it, and this blogger has plenty of nutritious suggestions! (Tip: Use less liquid and warm chickpeas, and you can get similar results with a regular food processor too.)

Everyone loves a good cheese dip, but this one is totally vegan friendly and just as tasty. Combine potatoes, carrots, olive oil, and nutritional yeast in a blender; throw in some spices; and blend until creamy. Not only are you ditching the dairy with this dip, you're also adding in some extra servings of veggies.

Always thought kebabs with fancy marinades were just too much work for a regular weeknight? Allow the Vitamix to step in and save the day—and your time. There is almost no work involved: Just throw a bunch of fragrant and cancer-fighting ingredients (habanero chilies, turmeric, and garlic) into the blender, and puree away. Pour over the skewered veggies and protein of your choosing for an elevated snack or meal.

Oh hello, velvety, garlicky goodness. Armed with blenders and a bit of imagination, bloggers have created countless “healthified” Alfredo sauces. But this one stands out from the rest for ditching soy and gluten (no flour needed!), along with being dairy and oil free. Using cashews, it ups the magnesium factor while slashing the fat by a whopping 36 grams per serving compared to the egg yolk and heavy cream-soaked restaurant version.

Everyone should have a go-to homemade pesto sauce in his or her culinary repertoire. Make this one yours. This recipe combines basil, Parmesean, and pine nuts in the Vitamix, which dramatically reduces prep time, whipping up an iron- and omega-3-filled blend of greens and nuts in mere minutes.

We know how it is: Every dairy-free pasta sauce recipe seems to resort to cashews for that rich and creamy boost. That’s where this recipe steps in. Thanks to the pulverizing power of the Vitamix, heart-healthy olive oil and garlic-roasted veggies combined with a bit of nondairy milk can be churned into a sauce silky enough to rival any nut- or cheese-based version.

The title of this recipe says it all: No need for hours of stewing fruit over the stovetop for homemade applesauce. When the Vitamix is involved, you’re talking seconds for a raw and chunky rendition, or about three extra minutes for the cooked kind. It doesn’t get fresher or faster than that. Either way you go, don’t leave out the vanilla and blood sugar-stabilizing cinnamon for extra depth of flavor that complements the fiber in the apples.

Most recipes for smooth soup involve two steps: cooking them on the stovetop and pureeing them in a blender. But the Vitamix takes the two-step process down to one by heating and blending simultaneously—hooray for time-slashing techniques! Give it a try with this aromatic, savory-sweet recipe of souped-up squash and apples. Almond milk both thickens it up and gives it a silky finish.

Given all the veggies and chopping it calls for, gazpacho can be kind of intimidating. Save yourself the effort and still get your summery soup fix by throwing everything, from the garlic and the olive oil to the tomatoes and the cucumbers, in your Vitamix and blending until your desired consistency. Whether you prefer it chunky or smooth, you’re only about 30 seconds away from a phytochemical-packed, blood pressure-lowering meal.

Broccoli cheddar, we’re calling you out as one of the biggest healthy food imposters on the menu, with minimal greens and heaps of cheese and butter. But this version deserves its health halo, with just four ounces of high-quality cheddar divided among four servings, and carrots joining the broccoli for extra skin-protecting beta-carotene. Health benefits aside, the other bonus is that the Vitamix can warm the soup as it blends, consolidating prep, cook, and heat time into a single step. Perfect for dinner on the fly.

It’s a warmer version of gazpacho, with an amped-up protein and fiber count from the addition of black beans and corn. Have it ready in a jiffy by using the soup setting on the Vitamix and top with your favorite healthy taco fixin’s, from (baked!) tortilla chips to buttery avocado.

Soup’s on, indeed, with this incredibly quick-to-make, filling-to-eat pumpkin puree. A combination of maple syrup and coconut milk, along with your favorite fall flavors, packs a whole lot of taste. The result is almost like a thick, spoonable stew. Give it the “Vitamix treatment” (i.e., use the “puree and heat” setting).

This recipe cuts the cooking time down on your regular soup as the Vitamix blitzes a veggie-riffic combo of onions, carrots, celery, and tomato into a steaming bowl of mood-boosting comfort. Despite all the other veggies, the tomato flavor is still unmistakable, making it the ideal concoction to dunk a grilled cheese into, pair with a salad, or scoop up with a side of saltines.

Entrees

Talk about a Lazy Sunday: Sit back, relax, and let Vitamix whip up brunch with this protein- and fiber-filled frittata. It chops the veggies and beats the eggs, leaving you with nothing to do except pour the entire mixture into a dish and bake. Pair with a mimosa and Netflix.

There’s nothing like wrapping two hands around a solid, homemade veggie burger. But admittedly, just thinking about how much dicing and pulsing goes into making a batch can drive us to those premade frozen patties. Here’s a shortcut.

When it comes to mac and cheese, that blue box may be a quick-fix meal, but baffling ingredients like “Yellow No. 6” don’t inspire much confidence in the nutrition department. This all-natural, vegan mac and cheese has a sauce of cashews, nutritional yeast, and a dash of turmeric that beats the pants off the powdered stuff in terms of flavor.

Cauliflower may be all the rage right now, but the mess involved when chopping up it up definitely isn’t a party. Have the Vitamix do the dirty work: One quick push of the “pulse” button, and you’ve got pulverized florets in mere seconds that can sub in for rice.

If you think hash browns are strictly the turf of weekend brunch, get ready to treat yourself (with the help of the Vitamix) any day of the week. Thanks to its speedy chopping, it’s easy to pull together a quick, flavorful hash. Throw in some sweet, diced apples for a powerhouse breakfast that’ll charge your morning.

Whip up a multipurpose, deep-flavored curry base that can transform basic chicken or tempeh and veggies. A Vitamix helps the cashews break down into a smooth paste without multiple rounds of pulverizing. The result? A lighter, cream-filled curry that’s still satisfyingly rich and spicy.

Dr. Seuss would appreciate this inventive take on “green eggs.” And you’ll appreciate how quickly it comes together. Throw eggs and pesto in the blender for a frothy, fluffy, and forcefully colored twist on the breakfast favorite. Add that to some avo toast and there ya have it: the perfect green breakfast.

Lasagna is pretty much the poster child for comfort food, but it’s incredibly time-consuming to pull together. That’s why this recipe really shines a light on everything the Vitamix can do. Welcome to the easiest lasagna you’ll ever make.

The batter for these Middle Eastern-inspired patties comes together in a flash, all thanks to the Vitamix, which processes the legumes and herbs faster than you can say “chickpea patty.” Baking them not only further eliminates the time and mess that deep-frying would require, but also helps keep them healthier.

Baked Goods

You may not consider yourself a baker now, but after the ease of these muffins, you might just start shopping for monogrammed aprons. A Vitamix blends the dry ingredients, then mixes in the wet. All you have to do is scoop the batter into tins and bake until they’re golden.

Heavenly carrot cake comes with a catch: shredding all those carrots. As kitchen tasks go, it’s got to be one of the most dreaded. Assign that task to your sous chef: the Vitamix. It’ll take care of that, along with mixing the wet ingredients. The resulting cake has all the flavors of carrot cake and a hefty dose of veggies per serving.

All the taste of a muffin with just five ingredients? We'll take it. Make a batch using a Vitamix to blend up this flourless mix. Banana and peanut butter can be goopy and difficult to blend together with a spatula. But when a Vitamix does all the legwork, you’re left with nothing to do but fold in some chocolate chips and bake away.

Blend, pour, bake: That’s literally all you need to do to make this tangy, silky pie—you don’t even have to roll out a crust! A generous squeeze of lemon juice adds just enough zing. Toss the entire ingredient list in a Vitamix, throw it in the oven, and begin the countdown to a gluten-free treat.

People are going cuckoo for coconuts. If you’re on that tropical bandwagon, these gluten-free gems will be your new favorite dessert. Combining coconut oil with dark chocolate? We're sold. And with just five ingredients, you can't go wrong.

Given the traditional formula for this dessert—gobs of butter plus sugar plus white flour—this recipe is nothing short of a nutritional miracle. Protein-rich quinoa and monounsaturated macadamia nut oil add to the health benefits (and deliciousness) of this gluten-free crumble. Pulse the dough in the dry pitcher of the Vitamix to achieve that ideal crumbly texture, then sprinkle generously atop a spiced apple mixture. It’s a wholesome, homey ending to any meal.

Other Sweet Treats

Not only does this treat turn a healthy fruit into a delicious, melty dessert, it doesn’t even require an ice cream maker. Simply chop your banana, freeze it, and then dump the chunks into your blender. This totally dairy-free recipe is perfect for your sweet tooth. Eat it immediately and savor the creamy flavor.

We’ve already sung the virtues of homemade banana soft-serve, but here’s a new twist: the same method with mangos. Use a Vitamix to churn up your own tropical treat using frozen chunks of the fruit, and a small splash of coconut milk for a dairy-free way to make it even creamier.

Cheesecake! Vegan cheesecake! Vegan cheesecake that can be made in your Vitamix! And the good news continues: There’s no pesky “water bath” step and no baking. It’s just high-quality nuts and raspberries blended up and poured into a gluten-free crust made with protein-packed hemp hearts for a dessert that’ll keep the sugar crash at bay.

Say farewell to frozen toaster waffles and throw these wholesome ingredients into a Vitamix for a breakfast upgrade that looks gourmet. Made with whole grains and nondairy milk, it’s a hearty meal to last you all morning.

Throw a whopping six cups of coconut flakes in a Vitamix and watch as it effortlessly turns them into paste. Mixed with ghee and spices, these petite squares are buttery, melt-in-your-mouth bliss. (Tip: The recipe calls for Ceylon cinnamon and raw honey, but you can always use the generic version of both.)

Is company coming? Making a jumbo batch of pancakes is a breeze when a blender’s doing all the work for you. This recipe is super easy with simple ingredients like eggs, flour, and just a bit of sugar. Blitz up a fruit sauce in the blender too, and then get ready to impress your friends with the easiest breakfast stacks ever.

Without a high-speed blender, cashew-based desserts can stay on the grittier side, but with a Vitamix, the results are as smooth as silk—and this raw chocolate mousse proves it. The nuts are whirred up with water, cocoa powder, and agave nectar. All that’s needed is a bit of refrigeration before it’s ready for devouring.

If you can make mousse with a Vitamix, pudding is the obvious next step. This one is a blend based on chia seeds, full of essential fatty acids and endurance-building properties. The seeds’ ability to gel makes them an excellent substitute for gelatin, while cocoa powder gives it a chocolaty depth that puts Jell-O to shame.

Smoothies

This smoothie combines the best of both worlds: spinach and dates mixed together with creamy peanut butter. What more could you want? Bonus: This is an excellent way to use up any produce that’s on its last leg.

The peanut butter and banana combo was beloved by Elvis Presley—so it’s only appropriate that this smoothie is “all shook up” in the king of blenders. With oats and bananas, protein powder, and a healthy dollop of all-natural nut butter for satiating fat, it’s a complete meal in a glass, perfect as a speedy breakfast or a re-energizing post-workout drink.

Disguised with the sweetness of mango and coconut, this smoothie also packs avocado and spinach. Several cups of the popular leafy green veg are methodically whipped into silken submission by the Vitamix. The bright green color is the only giveaway.

This healthy, gorgeous smoothie is also described by the blogger as “the closest thing to a cocktail without the alcohol.” Who wouldn’t want to chug that? Using raw beets gives you more of their folic acid than if you were to cook them. Muddled in the Vitamix with fruits for a hint of sweetness, it’s a pink potion to take you from lethargic to livened-up in just a few swigs.

This sunrise-in-a-glass is a thing of beauty, but there’s more to it than its good looks. With a peppy punch of vitamin C and potassium from the citrus fruits, it’s pretty and healthy. Use the Vitamix’s various dials to make it as smooth or chunky as you prefer. It’s impossible to sip this cheery drink and not smile.

There’s nothing more classic than an apple-cinnamon pairing. And the Vitamix offers a shortcut to these flavors with this thick morning beverage. With oats, maple syrup, and vanilla sweetening and thickening the smoothie, it really becomes apple cobbler in liquid form.

Other Beverages

If you can make hot soup in a Vitamix, why not hot chocolate? This blogger attempts it with a blend of chocolate chips, espresso powder, and spices, and the result is mouthwatering. Tip: Make it dairy-free by using almond or cashew milk instead of whole milk.

Step aside, Starbucks. Though this recipe uses the chain’s brand of instant espresso, this homemade rendition is a big upgrade. Relying on natural sweeteners like bananas and dates, a whole orange instead of flavoring, nondairy milk, and cocoa powder, it’s a wholesome, “real food” way to get in your frappuccino fix.

Take your Vitamix south of the border with this margarita; the high-speed settings of the blender help achieve the signature frothiness of the cocktail. Meanwhile, strawberries, lime juice, and honey come together in a citrusy trifecta—really, how bad can adding tequila to that be?

This awesome take on a popular smoothie combo is really all you need for an easy, blended snack. In place of vanilla ice cream, it uses just four ingredients including almond milk, banana, and avocado.

You’ll skip the store-bought lemonade mixes when you see how much simpler and healthier it is to whir one up in a Vitamix, especially when the ingredients are nothing but fruit, herbs, and honey. Sweet, savory, tangy, earthy, and incredibly refreshing, this is one beverage you’ll want in your refrigerator for a hit of summer all year.